


lights in the sky

by ebonynightwriter



Series: Waava Week 2017 [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Gen, Goodbyes, Hurt/Comfort, Old Age, One-Shot, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 21:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12396804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebonynightwriter/pseuds/ebonynightwriter
Summary: He can feel the change in the air – see the light over the mountaintop. He thinks it’s a sign. //“Are you ready?”





	lights in the sky

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N:** This could be considered to be set in the same universe as the fic I posted for [day one.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12387396) It might be a little confusing at first (sorry! ^^) but I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> -.-
> 
> **[waava week (2017) // day 2](http://ebonynightwriter.tumblr.com/tagged/mine:%20waava%20week%202017)** · at peace
> 
> -.-

Wan lays, flat on his back against the bed, staring at the ceiling as his lungs take in shallow breaths of air. The house is quiet and peaceful, with not a single noise going on beyond its walls. A slight cold hands in the air, and ahead of him, the faint glow of a candle grows as he sees the silhouette of his son-in-law, Chang, spread across the thin dividers. Wan shuts his eyes as the younger man peaks into the room, and soon more footsteps sound in the hall. The soft, padded feet of his daughter, Mei.

Chang quickly closes the door.

“He’s fine,” he says, placing his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “He’s only resting.”

“I’m worried,” she replies. “He’s been acting strange, ever since the solstice. He keeps wandering off.”

“Old men wander,” Chang says. “My father did the same at his age. You know what they say about the Lion Turtle folk, sometimes they still expect to feel the world moving beneath their feet.”

Mei leans forward, brow tense and furrowed.

“This is _different_ ,” she says. “I think he—”

“We’ll talk about it in the morning,” Chang says, wrapping his arm around her as he turns her around. “I’ll check on him again in a few hours.”

She sighs, leaning into him. “Thank you.”

Wan waits until their shadows leave, and slowly sits up in the bed, blankets spreading around his lap. He breathes, slow and steady, placing a wrinkled hand against his chest. If he thinks back, he can still remember the rush of warmth flare within him, how it felt when their energies combined. In the distance, a spark of energy flows through the world. It was the same one he’d felt on the winter solstice, and the same one he’d felt tonight.

He looks to the door.

At the very least, it’s wishful thinking.

.

.

.

The air is colder on the outside.

Wan takes his time, easing himself on the wooden walkway that surrounded the home. Before him lied a view of snow-covered fields, with dark mountains looming in the distance. The sky was clear, but inky black, the stars shining down in a million specks of light. He lets out a long puff of white air as he looks over everything, holding his hands tight. A small flame glows between his palms.

He can feel it getting closer.

“Father?”

He does not look away as Chang rushes to his side, setting the candle on the wood beside him.

“What are you doing out here?” he asks, removing his outer robe to drape it over the older man’s shoulders. “It’s freezing! You’ll catch your death!”

Wan blinks, eyes locked to the horizon. The flame vanishes from his hands.

“I’m waiting,” he replies, turning to look Chang in the face. His son-in-law stares at him with utter confusion, but it’s not that he’d expect him to understand.

“What are you talking about? It’s the middle of the night!” Chang says, putting his hands on Wan’s arms. He stays firm as Chang tries to coax him inside. He turns back to the fields.

“She’s almost here.”

Then, like magic, a sudden light appears on the edge of the world. Chang stops all movement beside him, and he stares ahead in shock and awe. Behind them, Mei comes through the open door, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders as she goes to her husband, following his line of sight.

Her eyes go wide.

“What is _that_?”

A small smile on his face, Wan stands, walking into the snow as she glides through the air, her body illuminating the sky with brilliant light. He feels the air warm as she settles to the ground. It makes it easier to breath, he thinks.

She’s larger than he remembers.

“I wasn’t sure it was you,” he admits, his hands shaking ever so slightly. “It’s been a while, Raava.”

“It has,” she says, her voice smooth and calm. She waits a moment, observing him, and then adds: “You have changed.”

He smiles.

“So have you,” he says, and within him, his heart aches a little. “I tried my best… to keep the world in balance. Though not so much in recent years.”

“I never asked that of you,” she replies, the glow within her growing.

“It was a good life,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

Raava bends, and Wan can feel her joy in the air. A small moment passes as wind blows through the field.

“Are you ready?” she finally asks, the words echoing softly around them.

“In a moment,” he says. “There’s something I need to do.”

He looks back to the house, where Mei and her husband stood, still frozen in shock. He waves to them, and slowly, they approach, each step taken with the utmost caution.

“Father…” Mei says, Chang’s hands stuck on her shoulders. “What is that?”

Wan smiles. “This is Raava, the Great Spirit of Light, and an old friend of mine.”

“A spirit…” Chang repeats, awed by its magnificence. He and Mei stand silent, processing the news. Mei looks to her father and the Great Spirit before them. It was truly the sight of a lifetime.

And yet…

“Why are you here?” Mei asks, a hand before her chest. Raava remains silent for a moment, the long strands of her body swaying as she pulls inward, thinking.

“Your father’s time in this realm is coming to an end,” she finally says. “I am here to ensure his spirit will find its way to a safe place.”

Mei gasps, looking to Wan.

“Father, no!” she says, stepping close to him. “You can’t leave!”

Wan sighs and smiles, placing his hands on his daughter’s arms.

“It’s alright, Mei,” he says. “I’ve had a good, long life thanks to you and your mother. But now I have to go.”

Leaning toward her face, Wan places his lips on his daughter’s forehead as she begins to cry. Chang approaches from behind, his face blank as smooth stone, gently pulling her away as Wan smiles fondly at the two of them. He stares for a brief moment, and turns back to Raava, walking across the space between them, until he’s inches from her form.

“Just like old times,” he says, running his hand between one of her flowing wisps.

“Yes,” she says. Wan closes his eyes.

With that, it begins.

Bending around him, she takes flight again. She twirls through the sky, twisting against the night as she curves, speeding towards him. Wan plants his feet in the ground as she rushes into him, his body filled with warmth and light. Raava arcs up as she finishes, and Wan slumps forward, kneeling in the dirt and snow. Mei and Chang run to him as she flies away, back over the mountain where she came from. He does not move when they shake him. He does not answer their calls.

He feels weightless – eternal.

Light floats to the sky, and he goes with a smile on his face.


End file.
